Warren Spencer Hawley

Warren Spencer Hawley, age 94, passed away peacefully at his home in Fallbrook, Calif., on Feb. 5, 2013. He was born in New Windsor, Ill. on May 4, 1918, the youngest child of Dr. Frank Stacey Hawley and Dora Edna Peterson. Raised in Los Angeles, he attended Los Angeles High School and Pomona College, as did his older siblings Mary and Charles. Warren spent his junior year abroad studying in Freiburg, Germany, initiating international family friendships that have thrived to this day, and returning home just before the start of WWII. He received a bachelor’s degree from Pomona in 1940 and a master’s degree from the Tufts Fletcher School in 1942. It was at Tufts that Warren met Georgia Louise Trainer, and they were married on April 4, 1943 in Orange, N.J.

Warren served as a Naval Intelligence Officer during WWII in the US and Europe. After the war he joined the Foreign Service in Washington, DC, with postings in Germany and Ethiopia, and assignments throughout Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. Warren and Georgia raised six children, all born in Washington, DC over a period of 18 years, creating lasting memories for them through their travels.

Warren and Georgia moved to Fallbrook in 1968 to live near Mary and Charles. He began a second career at the age of 50, teaching political science at Palomar College until 1992. They were active in the Fallbrook Music Society and enjoyed attending local concerts and going to plays and operas with their friends. Warren was an avid bridge, golf, and tennis player, and went to the gym regularly all the way into his 90s. He had a genuine interest in people and their lives, was generous to friends and family, and loved to recount humorous stories and discuss historical events.

He is survived by his wife of nearly 70 years, Georgia; their six children, Robert , Bruce, Anne Morgan, William, David, and Caroline Gasca; 10 grandchildren, five great-grandchildren, two exchange students that still call him “Dad”, and an extended family that has gathered for holiday celebrations for many years.

Warren, you will be greatly missed by all those whose lives you touched!

Warren will be buried in a family plot at the Inglewood Park Cemetery. Friends and family are welcome to a Celebration of Life gathering at the Fallbrook Senior Center on Saturday, March 16 at 1:30. The family requests that donations be made in lieu of flowers to the Fallbrook Music Society, P.O. Box 340, Fallbrook, CA 92088.

One Response to "Warren Spencer Hawley"

jeff wilson February 22, 2013 at 8:02 pm

Professor Hawley taught Introduction to Political Science in 1977. His lectures inspired a life long interest in world politics. For years after that single class with Professor Hawley, he always called me by my first name every time I saw him in town. He will always be remember.